The episode was released on December the 21st for all current platforms. The development team tried to enhance the animation technology of the game, utilizing Rockstar's NaturalMotion employees to reconfigure the game. Also, new developers Rockstar Manchester were employed to rework the original fighting mechanics with a collaboration with NaturalMotion productions. It was released on December 21st in North America and Canada, then released worldwide December 25th.

The After Dark Scene expansion received massive critical acclaim, holding 95/100 on Metacritic, top rated on HRQE and 89% on GameRankings. The controversial content diminished the ratings significantly, as reviewers were both offended and outraged. It still, however, received critical acclaim by most for its defining mechanics and visual graphics which far surpassed its previous titles.

Contents

Synopsis

The After Dark Scene is an unprecedented triumph in next-generation video gaming. The game is a philosophical outcry, entertaining diversion and has an impressive authenticity that has propelled Rockstar Games to the height of the development essence.

The game lets players experience the glamorous celebrity scene of Las Venturas, and unveils the dirt and debauchery that holds the city together. From the venal officers of vice, illustrious dames of the night, and intense Salvadorian gangsters of the curb, The After Dark Scene gives a voice to the silent.

The development team wanted players to question authority and instruction, dabble into an understanding of oneself and the meaning of life, and have a bloody good time from beginning to end. Through the use of the story; politics, work, education and video gaming are all used as literary devices.

When a character asks you to vaporize a group of aliens in other games, why not stop for a moment and really think about why you're doing it? That is the essence development legends Rockstar North, and newly initiated Rockstar Manchester were dead-set on achieving.

Story

"Well, the inspiration came from a lot of thinking, ideas, and reworking of mods the GTA: IV community mustered on the PC version. You could say the game has multiple story lines but in one or two ways, each storyline is bonded together. We wanted to showcase a realistic portrait of life in the city of sin, and that inspired the story. And the plot? Well, the game takes place two months after a governmental shutdown, with small business contractors still feeling aftershocks of the event. The players strive to their separate ambitions in Las Venturas."

―Development Team

Gameplay Overview

The awe-inspiring power of the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine with the Havok fighting engine delivers the highest standard immersion in Grand Theft Auto entertainment. An unmatched level of visual and audio fidelity, superior character animations and dynamic environments combine to create the most believable video game experience possible of the video gaming software.

The After Dark Scene expansion adds plenty of new weapons to the even massive arsenal already in the standard game. Most notably, this expansion adds in improvised weapons, a new class-set of weapons. Over the course of the game, the player can use a variety of weapons, including plastic bags, aerosol cans, pliers and an assortment of bladed items. Later in the game, firearms become available. If the player is running low on health, painkillers are available to use. The player also has a stamina meter which will deplete as they sprint, automatically replenishing when standing idle. Unlike the original weapon mechanics, the player must carry a duffel bag for large weapons if they want to stay inconspicuous, a concept reused from old GTA IV pre-alpha ideas.

Moreover, with the new engines coinciding with each other, the expansion has pushed in-game animations to a whole new level. Now these animations are intractable and controllable, which was rare in earlier Grand Theft Auto titles. Newly introduced, the game features a Dynamic Weather System bot, which gives the game a more realistic snowfall, rainfall, fog and other adaptable climates. Because of this new element, the weather gives an effect to the area. For example, rainfall makes the terrain more slippery, and winds affect the players walking and weapon steadiness.

More missions, more weapons, more vehicles, more diversity and more destruction allow you to create your own path and play to your strengths. Absolutely nothing can compare to the sheer scale and scope in the downloadable content range to date.

Overview

The main selling point of The After Dark Scene is the luscious heist missions; taking a page out of Payday 2’s gameplay by having the player decide how, when, and what to rob. They are mostly stinging maneuvering and operations played out on various businesses, industries, governmental processes and grand casinos. While most of the missions can be deemed, “over-the-top”, especially Jackie Hiroyuki’s storyline, the game works well with its dynamic variety. Some of the heist choices include: working the front desk for two weeks earlier as a book cashier, to simply walk out the door with over $500,000; committing a fake robbery, turning the focus of the police department away; and driving a mini coupé through tunnels with trunks of gold.

Development

Alpha, Beta, and Gold are the three milestones of game development before it is released into the world.

During an interview with IGN just before the release of Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar North creative director [[][[] revealed that Rockstar was already working on another one. "Like any game, if you have a great creative core to it you just keep exploiting that core," he told IGN. "For instance," he continued, "I know what the next is about and it is funnier than this one. It's a good example of how you take what you have and you ask, 'what could happen in the next?" added Béland, without giving up any real details.

"The next time a game blows your mind, it will be because the way it moves, before the way it looks."

―BuzzFeed.com: "Physics Are The New Graphics"

Employing the four main developers of BeamNG.drive, which was a young startup company developing a state of the art real-time physics simulation engine; The After Dark Scene burst from the pre-alpha stage and into the creation stages. The BeamNG team of two programmers and two artists, who founded their company in 2011, merged with NaturalMotion's team to create the most fluid, realistic, correct, destructive and malleable vehicle physics found in a video game.

When starting out, the main focus for the project was how things moved and not how things looked on the screen. Through expertise in real-time soft-body physics and real vehicle simulation, the alpha stage became the forefront of Rockstar games physics simulation, producing the most dynamic and impressive physics engine ever seen. To achieve this, the team designed the engine and corresponding assets to be non-intrusive of the underlying game engine and Operating System.

During the early alpha stage, the physics engine was running on a multicore CPU configuration, later configured with R.A.G.E with the process of supporting GPUs via OpenCL.

The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto: The After Dark Scene was released on November 2, 2012. The trailer was 1:24 long and received critical acclaim. The song used in the trailer was "Voyager (Revolte Remix)" by Daft Punk. It was a pure instrumental trailer with no dialogue or script, and was an introduction.

Controversies

"Stuff happens all the time, the world is an imperfect place. There’s no such thing as bad publicity"

―Development Team

The Grand Theft Auto series is infamous for yielding controversies. Mindless rampages with no consequences, where players massacre civilians unabridged; excessive public vandalism, providing players with subversive devices and wide-scale, realistic destruction; and the ever so infamous sex, and murder, of prostitutes. Prior to and since its release, the game has been subject to a great deal of controversy.

The After Dark Scene’s most controversial and debatable moments is in the main story mission, “Intense”, which forces the player to maim and torment another character. And unlike movies that have torture scenes, players cannot look away, because the sequence requires interaction.

Ban History

The After Dark Scene has been censored and banned by governments of various states in the world. Governments have been criticized for banning the game for many reasons, including, but not limited to; bans that increase piracy, inhibit business opportunities, violate rights, and are widely available for purchase or download

Australia, who interestingly enough, has just changed their evaluation systems to tolerate 18+ video games, banned the expansion. The reason for the prohibition was because of the in-game mission, “Save My Night”, forces players to take part in substance abuse, as well as a debatable rape scene in the mission, “This Is What It Feels Like”.

Australian teens were furious!

The game was essentially released in Australia on the 27th, with these issues removed by the authority of the Australian Prime Government.

"Banned because of sexual violence and drug use related to incentives/rewards. An appeal was lodged but failed. An edited version was released lacking said content."

On 27 December 2013, Netherlands Public Broadcasting and Fox News reported that a 16-year-old student had been arrested in Holland, Netherlands after he paid and killed a prostitute while attempting to retrieve his money. A Gendarmerie police captain stated: "He thought it was just as easy in real life as it was virtually to rob a hooker, maybe in other countries, but not here on De Walletjes!." As a result of this incident, the game (along with the series) was then banned in Holland, but legal in other areas of the Netherlands.

Features

"One area where GTA: IV is actually better than GTA V, was the leisure activities. In GTA IV, you could go bowling, play pool, get drunk, go to a restaurant, see shows, go to the club. In GTA V, when you hang out with one of your friends, the only real options are darts, tennis, drinking or clubs. In The After Dark Scene, we focused on adding more leisure activities in the expansion."

―Development Team

Players can choose to participate in the following activities.

Air Hockey

Arm wrestling

Bank Heist - Rob a bank safe and bring it back escape with it.

Baseball - Play three, six, or nine innings of America's Past Time.

Biking - Participate in bike races.

Bowling

Circuit Race - Race cars.

Cycling -

Football - Play one or two-quarters on the gridiron.

Gang Operation - Take on a rival gang for rewards.

Golf - Play a full or half course rounds of golf.

Hockey - Play a shootout round on the game on ice.

Indoor Basketball - Heading to the gym will allow you to play regular basketball rules.

Interceptor - Play as the local Law Enforcement and track down gangs.

Poker - Are you all in?

Pool -

Shots -

Smoke Weed -

Spa - After a day of debauchery, you may be craving a bit of R & R at the spas.

Street Basketball - Same as indoor. Just no rules!

Street Race - Take it to the streets and race cars.

Target Practice -

Tennis - Play three rounds on the court

Vehicles

Businesses

Weapons

The game features a large variety of weapons, like the Mikhailen assault rifles with sound suppressors, mounted flashlights, customizable look, and adjustable stocks. This leads to the return of suppressed weapons and the ability to attach suppressors to most firearms. Wielding a noticeable weapon in public will garner a wanted level, depending on the source of the weapon and its use by the player. Melee weapons like the Masana and the Tjchete that weren't present in Grand Theft Auto V have also returned from earlier games to The After Dark Scene.

Characters

In The After Dark Scene, the developers wanted to capture a realistic portrayal of characters, and with proper authority, the player would become greatly attached to them. Each character has their own unique backstory, which can be discovered through dialogue, manuscripts and via Easter Eggs; which will make an even larger attachment from the player to the characters.

Character Customization

"One of my most enjoyable highlights in the game is the vast character customization, which is tailored for players to absorb the protagonist in their own essence. Some players may want Armin to wear tailored suits, Tijs to bear revealing shirts, Albert to wear gauche apparel, or Jackie to hide under a hood."

―Development Team

The game features the option to customize the four protagonists' wardrobe and appearances. They can choose to either change their clothing or their hair and facial features. Returning from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the player has the option of changing the thinness/fatness and the muscle amount of the characters. There are also cosmetic options such as tattoos and jewelry, unique styles, and bizarre clothing which are for aesthetic purpose only.

Locations

Something Rockstar North did not do in Grand Theft Auto: V, was to take players to one of the other locations in the established universe. To compensate, The After Dark Scene is situated mainly in Las Venturas, a returning cityscape from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, having it converted to meet the HD universe standards. Although the beginning of the expansion is located in Los Santos, the protagonists make their own separate Odyssey into Las Venturas.

Developer Credit

Legal

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